A Quincy's Might
by IronBootsMutton
Summary: AU of Bleach. What if Grand Fisher killed Isshin Kurosaki, instead of Masaki Kurosaki? What if both of Ichigo's parents were Quincies? Read and find out! Quincy!Ichigo, Strong!Ichigo, Smart!Ichigo. Pairings undecided.
1. A Different Beginning

**I do not own Bleach or any other trademarked material featured in any of my stories.**

Chapter 1: A Different Beginning

Ichigo stared at the still body of his father. His eyes-once full of laughter and joy-were now cold and empty. He had no idea how long he sat there, staring at the corpse. He could hear noises in the background; shouts, sirens, pleas for someone to _"Help that poor child"._

What no one else could see though was the masked monster, grinning as it watched the carnage it created. Grand Fisher revelled in the dead look in the boy's eyes. The sadness he had created was even more satisfying than consuming any of the countless Shinigami he had encountered. He was about to depart when he saw it, the sadness in the boy's eyes vanished, replaced by a raging inferno of hatred. Grand Fisher no longer found enjoyment in the boy's eyes. For the first time in over fifty years, he felt fear.

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Masaki Kurosaki was not, by any means, unobservant. Ever since the death of her beloved husband, Isshin, she watched as her eldest child, Ichigo, slowly changed from the kind and excitable youth he had once been, into a cold loner.

A week after Isshin's death, Ichigo had confessed to her what had really happened. When Ichigo described the '_monster' _that had attacked him, she could not keep the sense of recognition from reaching her eyes. Ichigo immediately recognized that she already knew about these '_monsters', _and demanded that she tell him.

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"Ichigo, I think its best if-", Masaki began.

"NO!" Ichigo yelled. "I need to know this mom; I can't just pretend this never happened, dad died because of that _thing_" he spat.

Masaki sighed. She wanted her children to live their lives away from anything to do with Hollows. But Ichigo was right; Isshin had _died._ Besides, Ichigo was a pureblood. If she did not tell him about his powers now, he would discover them on his own soon enough. For the hundredth time she cursed Yhwach for stealing her and Isshin's powers. If Isshin had his powers, he would have tore through that Hollow effortlessly. Ichigo would have still been the kind little boy he once was, and her family would have been happy once more. But that could never happen.

"Alright Ichigo" she said. "That monster you saw is something called a _Hollow_."

"What's a _Hollow_?" Ichigo asked, eyes brimming with curiosity.

"Perhaps I should start at the beginning," Masaki said. "When people die they emerge from their body as _Pluses_, Which is what you would call a ghost."

"_A ghost!_" he exclaimed incredulously.

"Yes Ichigo, ghosts do exist, but there not scary and they don't haunt people." Masaki assured him."Anyways, there are three things that can happen to these ghosts," Masaki began."They could remain here, but eventually they would become _Hollows-"_

"Wait," Ichigo said," _Hollows_ are just ghosts?"

"Yes Ichigo now please let me finish," she said, with a mild glare. "Now, the _plus_ could either stay and eventually become a _Hollow,_ or it can be purified by a _Shinigami._"

Ichigo appeared as though he was going to burst with questions, but remember his mother's warning and remained quiet.

"A _Shinigami_ is a dead soul that possesses high amounts of something called _Reiryoku,_ or Spiritual Power_" _Masaki began." While all beings have _Reiryoku_, when someone has more than a certain amount, it grants them special abilities," she said. "One of these abilities allows _Shinigami_ to send souls to a place called _Soul Society_. _Soul Society _is the afterlife. Kind of like Heaven. I'd like to tell you more about it but I've never been there." Masaki finished.

"You said that there were three things that could happen to ghosts, but you only named two."Ichigo questioned.

Masaki frowned," There is one other thing that could happen," she said. "If a soul committed horrible sins when it was alive, when a _Shinigami_ tries to purify it, it might be sent to Hell instead, but don't worry about that," she quickly assured him, noticing his fearful face."Just live well and don't hurt anyone and i have no doubt you'll never have to step foot in there," she finished with a smile.

Ichigo was silent for a while, digesting what he had been told before asking, "Is there any way to stop them, the _Hollows_ I mean?"

Masaki frowned. '_Should I tell him'_ she thought. Masaki knew that if she told him the truth his life would never be the same. He would never again be the innocent boy he once was. But she realized that he already wasn't that innocent little boy. Isshin's death had killed that little boy for good. Masaki realized that Ichigo had to know, to protect himself and to protect their family. Masaki's powers were gone, and Isshin's death had shown her that her family was not as secure as she had once thought.

"Before I tell you Ichigo, I want you to promise me that you won't repeat anything I'm about to say, to _anyone_, understood?" Masaki asked, appearing uncharacteristically serious.

Ichigo nodded immediately, determined to understand how to protect his family, and avenge his father.

"Your father and I were what we call _Quincies_. A _Quincy_ is a human with the ability to absorb _Reishi_, or Spirit Particles and manipulate them into weapons that they then use to slay _Hollows_," she said. "_Quincies_ generally use bow and arrows as their preferred weapons, but it is no unheard of for a _Quincy _to form a broadsword, or a more focused katana. Your father for example used to form a nodachi. I myself preferred a bow and arrow though."

"You keep saying '_used to'_." Ichigo said. "Are you no longer a _Quincy_?" he asked.

Masaki smiled sadly."No Ichigo, your father and I lost our powers years ago," she said. "And no," she added quickly, seeing the curiosity in his eyes," I will not tell you how, at least not yet."

"Can-Can you teach me how to be a _Quincy_?" Ichigo asked hopefully.

"You already are a _Quincy _Ichigo. You are what we call a pureblood; both of your parents are from families that have a long history of being _Quincies_. This means that you can more easily access some of the harder abilities that come with being a _Quincy_." Masaki assured him. "But first we have to access your powers, and I know just who to go to."

"Who?" Ichigo asked, brimming with curiosity.

"An old friend of mine and your fathers," Masaki said, smiling. "Kisuke Urahara."

**Yo, this is IronBootsMutton, and before you ask yes, I do realize that is a weird ass name. This is my first attempt at writing a fanfiction, and I hope hope it was not too bad. I am not sure about the pairing, but I'm one hundred percent sure that it will not be IchigoxOrihime, IchigoxRukia, or any other common pairings. If you have any suggestions for a pairing leave it in a review. Thanks for reading. **


	2. The Mad Scientist

**I do not own Bleach or any other trademarked material featured in any of my stories.**

Chapter 2: The Mad Scientist

Kisuke Urahara liked to think he was a clever man. Yoruichi tended to say otherwise, but he knew that it was just out of love. At least he thought so. So when his old friend Masaki Kurosaki-the most overbearing mother on the face of the planet-asked him to give her son magical powers in order to make him strong enough to fight giant monsters, who coincidentally enough, enjoy eating children, he was understandably quite perplexed. Normally, Kisuke would have jumped at the chance to run some tests on a pureblooded _Quincy_. But, the glaring form of Masaki eyeing him with suspicion was seriously messing with his mojo. He was old enough to be her grandfather's grandfather. You would think that would permit him for some quality alone time with her seven-year-old son!

That sounded disturbing. Thank god, he did not say that aloud. Anyways where was he...

Ah yes, experimenting on little boys. Again, fairly disturbing, but I digress;

"So let me get this straight," Kisuke said giving the Masaki an amused look. "You want me to awaken your son's latent superpowers."

"They're not superpowers you ass," Masaki said, with her eye twitching. "You know that me and Isshin were _Quincies_, and-while I realize that all those blows to the head may have slowed you down a bit- I know that you probably know more about what makes a _Quincy_ tick then I do."

Kisuke nodded sagely," So what you're saying is that you don't know anything about what you are, and that I am incredibly smart, as well as dashing, good-looking, brave-"

"No," she said with a glare that would have made Kisuke shit a brick-if he was paying attention that is-"What I'm saying is that you're a creepy little blonde faggot that likes experimenting on anything with a pulse."

"-Kind, muscular, amazingly well endowed-"he continued to Masaki's ire.

While Kisuke Urahara's intelligence was already considered a fact by most,-at least according to him-his prowess as a _Shinigami_ was one of his lesser-known talents. As the former _Junibantai Taichou_, Kisuke was recognized as one of the most powerful men to ever die. As a former _Taichou,_ Kisuke was almost untouchable. He could sense any blows coming toward him from a mile away.

So when Masaki Kurosaki's fist smashed into his head-thoroughly wrinkling his hat-he was understandably quite perturbed.

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Ichigo was bored. It had been hours since his mom went to meet that Kisuke guy-Ichigo found some humor in that name, because of the _uke_-and he had nothing to do. His sisters were fast asleep, it was too dark to go out, and there was nothing on TV. He absently wondered if there was anything to eat. He was a bit hungry but he was not sure if-

"Ichigoooo!" he heard his mother call. "Come out and meet the creepy scientist man."

Ignoring the squawk of indignation, he heard from near his mother, Ichigo walked into his living room where he saw his mother smiling serenely, and a strange looking blonde man wearing a ridiculous bucket hat who was pouting childishly.

"Why would you do that? I had an awesome entrance already planned. Do you have any idea how long it took me to think of it?" the man asked his mother.

"I just told you about this two hours ago Kisuke, you couldn't possibly have planned anything too spectacular, now shut up and introduce yourself." His mother said, still smiling, though with a noticeable twitch in her eye.

"That's not the point!" the man stated."You cannot just ruin people's entrances like that. I am _supposed_ to be the wise-yet sexy-man who instructs the young hero on how to gain enough power to protect his loved ones. Now because of you I am the dopey-yet still sexy-mad scientist man who never gets any action!" he finished, glaring at Masaki as if she stole his first-born child.

"Kisuke just shut the hell up and introduce yourself!" Masaki said, beginning to lose her composure.

"What's the point anymore Masaki!" he yelled."You ruined it, you ruined everything! Do you enjoy _ruining _my life? I can never be the wise man anymore Masaki! You've stolen my wisdom-"

"Ahem" Ichigo coughed, trying to make them remember his presence.

Both adults froze-Masaki's fist halfway to Kisuke's face, Kisuke in the process of escaping to under the coffee table-and in a flash appeared seated again, smiling.

"Ahh, Ichigo there you are, we've been waiting," his mother said, trying to distract him. "This is Kisuke Urahara, an old friend of mine and your fathers.

"Nice to meet you," Ichigo said, trying to hide his giggles of amusement at the name._ 'What kinds of parents willingly give a child a name with _uke _in it,' _he thought, fighting off a grin.

Thankfully neither seemed to notice, too engrossed in glaring at each other.

"So Ichigo," Kisuke began. "I hear you want to access your _Quincy_ powers."

"Yes Urahara-san," Ichigo said, trying to be polite in order to increase his chances.

"Great!" Kisuke exclaimed, surprising both Kurosakis. "Drop by tomorrow and I'll what I can do."

"Wait," Masaki said, incredulously. "That's it? After all the moaning and complaining all it takes is one stop and he's good to go?"

"Yep," Kisuke said, grinning. "In theory, all that we need to do is expose him to some _Quincy Reiatsu,_ and he should awaken his powers. Luckily for you I have some back at the shop."

"So basically," Masaki said, eyes twitching uncontrollably. "What you're saying is that you made me listen to you moan and complain for two hours for no damn reason?"

"Yep!" he said, still grinning.

Kisuke Urahara was an undoubtedly powerful man. Practically untouchable. But for some inexplicable reason, the powerless Masaki was-once again-able to punch him in the face.

'_This may require further study.'_ Kisuke thought, as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

**Second chapter done! Writing Urahara was fun as hell. As for how Ichigo gains his powers, In canon, Ichigo activates Blut Vene by simply being captured by a Quincy and exposed to his Reiatsu for a little while. So I think it's reasonable to assume that he would awaken his powers through being exposed to it. For the pairing I'm probably going to put up a poll eventually, but any romance will be fairly minor. **


	3. Superpowers

**I do not own Bleach or any other trademarked material featured in any of my stories.**

Chapter 3: Superpowers

After eating lunch, and dropping off Yuzu and Karin at one of Masaki's friends house; Ichigo and Masaki headed to Kisuke's shop. It was not too far; only about a fifteen-minute walk, but Ichigo's anticipation made it seem as though it was on the other side of the world. After Kisuke left the previous night, he had cornered his mother and interrogated her on anything to do with _Shinigami, Hollows, _and _Quincies._ He learned that a _Shinigami's _main method of combat is through their _Zanpakutou, _a special sword made from their sword that gave the _Shinigami_ a special power. His mom said there was more but he she would explain it later since it wasn't urgent.

He had also asked her about some other powers that he got as a _Quincy._ She said that other than the Spirit Weapon, _Quincies_ could use a technique called _Hirenkyaku,_ in order to move incredibly fast. She said that to most people, a _Quincy _using _Hirenkyaku_ would appear as though he was teleporting. His mother also told him about what his heritage as a pureblood would do. Apparently, pureblood _Quincies_ are able to use one of the _Quincies _most advanced techniques, _Blut,_ upon awakening their powers. According to his mother, _Blut_ is arguably the most powerful and useful abilities a _Quincy _has. _Blut _is split into two categories, _Blut Vene, _which allows _Quincies _to defend against nearly all techniques. As well as _Blut Arterie, _which gives a _Quincy_ incredible attack power.

Ichigo was incredibly excited, after all, it wasn't every day that you're mom tells you that you have superpowers. He couldn't wait until he could make his own Spirit Weapon, or run around using _Hirenkyaku_. Or maybe jump in front of a bus while using _Blut Vene._

That all sounded fun, except maybe the last one.

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Kisuke's house was not what Ichigo was expecting. The shop, creatively named _Urahara Shop, _was a small, non-descript little building on the outskirts of _Karakura Town_. Standing in front of the shop was one of the scariest man that Ichigo had ever seen. Ichigo was pretty tall for a nine-year-old, but the man in front of him was easily twice his height. Even his mom barely made it up to his chest. But his height wasn't what was scary, it was his mustache. The giant had a mustache that seemed like it would have been perfect on a super villain.

"Ahh, hello again Masaki-san," the man said, sounding surprisingly polite. "Urahara-dono is expecting you."

"Thank you Tessai-san," Masaki said, giving the giant a smile. "This is my son Ichigo," she said, pushing him in front of her. "Say hello Ichigo."

"H-Hi," Ichigo said fearfully.

Tessai stared at him for a moment, before saying, "Nice to meet you, what do you think of the shop?"

Ichigo looked around for a moment before replying. "It's...nice?"

Instantly, Tessai appeared before him, on his knees, crying tears of happiness. "Thank you," he said, still crying.

Ichigo blinked, "Your...welcome?"

"Hahaha, it was nice seeing you again Tessai but we should probably go, right Ichigo," Masaki said, already dragging Ichigo towards the entrance.

"Um, yeah, bye," Ichigo said, watching as the door closed behind him, Tessai still crying tears of joy.

"Don't worry about him Ichigo," Masaki said. "Tessai's quite kind, but he is a bit weird."

"Now let's go meet Kisuke and get you some _Quincy_ powers." She said smiling.

Ichigo nodded with a smile on his face, as they walked further into the shop.

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When they entered, they saw Kisuke drinking tea while petting a black cat. Upon seeing them, he grinned and stood up.

"Ahh, Masaki, Ichigo-kun, how lovely to see you again," he said, never losing his smile. "What can I do for you today?"

Masaki sighed, "You told us to come see you today Kisuke, and hello Yoruichi."

"Oh yes, I remember now," Kisuke said, pulling out a fan and placing it in front of his face in order to hide his devious smile. "Come along and let's get this show started."

The two Kurosakis followed him deeper into the shop, until they reached what appeared to be a storage room.

"Just give me one moment; I'll be with you in a second." Kisuke said as he entered the room and began rummaging around, as though he were looking for something.

"Aha!" he exclaimed, finally pulling out a disk-like object. It was about the size of Ichigo's head, and seemed to glow with a strange inner light. "Here it is," Kisuke said, grinning full-force. "Now follow me and we'll get Ichigo-kun some super powers."

"For the last time, they are _not _super powers Kisuke. I don't know how many times I have to put it in your moronic blonde head-"

"And here we are," Kisuke cut her off, upon finally reaching his lab. "Now Ichigo-kun it would be easier if you were unconscious for the next part so..." He gave a fearful look towards Masaki. "...Let's hope your crazy mom doesn't kill me." He finished, his hat covering his eyes.

"What are you talking about-?" Ichigo began but was cut off by Kisuke's walking stick smashing into the back of his head. The last thing Ichigo saw was his mom looking pissed and Kisuke's creepy smile.

Then it all went dark.

**And that's chapter 3. I know their pretty short but I promise Chapter 4 will be a lot longer. I'm currently at over 1500 words, and im no where near done. I just want Ichigo to awaken his powers so I can get this fic properly started. Thanks for anyone that reviewed/followed/favourite this story; it means a lot to me.**


	4. Awakening

**I do not own Bleach or any other trademarked material featured in any of my stories.**

Chapter 4: Awakening

Ichigo slowly began to regain consciousness. All he remembered was the weird-looking blonde man saying something about his mom killing him, and then nothing. Ichigo looked around as he tried to recognize where he was. He appeared to be in a massive, rocky wasteland. The sky was mostly clear, with a few clouds dispersed around, but the oddest thing was the lack of noise. Normally, anywhere outdoors has some form of noise. Bugs, animals, other people. But here there was nothing. It was unnerving to see such a massive space dead silent, and for a moment, Ichigo wondered if he was dead, and if this was some twisted mockery of heaven, or, as he remembered what his mother called it, _Soul Society_.

"Hello!" Ichigo called. "Is anyone there?"

There was no response. Ichigo was officially afraid now. He looked around wildly, hoping for anyone, _anything_, so he could leave. Yet still, nothing. Suddenly, out of the blue, Ichigo saw a small burst of, what appeared to be, some kind of red energy. Ichigo ran towards it, hoping that he could finally exit the barren wasteland he found himself in. But, as Ichigo neared the light, he began to slow down. '_H-How did that light get so close?'_ Ichigo was quite fast for a nine-year-old, but the red light, which at the beginning was only seen as a small glow, was now clearly discernible, and it appeared to be, getting closer.

'_Uh-oh,'_ Ichigo thought beginning to run in the other had initially thought that it was some form of exit, but no exit he had ever seen had come _towards_ you. Either way, it didn't seem to matter. The light was almost upon him now. The '_light' _was much larger than it initially appeared to be, and from close up, appeared far more dangerous. The sinister red blast of raw energy seemed to be shearing straight _through_ the ground. Ichigo realized then, the light was a portal to freedom, the light was a portal to death. Ichigo could _feel _the power radiating from the blast, and he knew, without a doubt, that if it touched him, he would die. But it was too late now. The light was already upon him. With one final scream of fear, Ichigo vanished; consumed by the red blast.

_One day earlier_

"What the hell Kisuke!" Masaki roared in rage.

She was regretting ever coming to Urahara for help. She should have found that family of _Quincies_ that her aunt told her lived in _Karakura._ They might have known of a safer way to forcibly awaken Ichigo's powers. But, she was afraid. Not of them, but of who they might serve. She had no idea how Yhwach would react to her attempting to give her son powers. Yhwach stole Masaki's powers on what seemed to be a whim. If the Ishidas were members of the _Wandenreich,_ Yhwach would immediately be notified. Not to mention the fact that they may refuse anyways.

"It had to be done Masaki." Kisuke said. "When Ichigos unconscious, he subconsciously absorbs a bit of _Reishi. _In fact, even if you didn't ask me for help, Ichigo would have awakened his powers eventually regardless. Ichigo can't Conciously absorb _Reishi _yet, so him being awake would have accomplished nothing."

Kisuke didn't know too much about Ichigo, or _Quincies_ in general. But he knew that a boy who had only recently discovered what a _Hollow_ was would have absolutely no knowledge on how to use his powers to absorb _Reishi_. Besides, kids were generally pretty loud, and Kisuke didn't want to have to put up with any whining for a full day.

Perhaps he shouldn't mention that last part to Masaki though.

"I don't give a shit what your reasoning is!" Masaki yelled indignantly. "You can't just knock out little boys without saying anything. See! This is why you're the creepy mad scientist. You take little boys back to your lab, and then knock them unconscious! What on earth do you think people are going to call you when you pull off stunts like that?"

"Maa, Masaki you should relax a bit," Kisuke said as he waved off her protests nonchalantly. "You'll age faster."

As Masaki appeared to be close to committing murder, Yoruichi finally opened her mouth.

"You know," She said, in a deep voice completely unsuited to her gender. "Ichigo has been on the floor knocked out, while you guys are fighting like an old married couple."

Both adults seemed to finally realize that there was an unconscious nine-year-old spread-eagle in the middle of the lab.

As Masaki picked up her son from the floor, Yoruichi turned to Kisuke.

"So, what now?"

"Now," Kisuke said. "We put Ichigo in an isolated room with the _Quincy Reiatsu,_ and wait. After a day Ichigo should awaken his _Quincy_ powers, and then we get to testing them."

"Testing them?" Masaki asked, not liking the sound of that. "What do you mean by testing them?"

"Well we..."Kisuke began.

"Well we what?" Masaki asked, unconsciously tightening her grip on her son.

"No idea," Kisuke said cheerfully, ignoring the sweat drops from Masaki and Yoruichi.

"Tell me Masaki." Kisuke began. "What was the first thing you were trained in, when you awakened your powers?"

"Well," Masaki said, trying to remember her training several years ago. "The first power I managed to use was _Blut Vene_. As a pureblood, I was born with the ability to use _Blut._ Ichigo should be able to use it as well, since me and Isshin were both _Quincies._"

"Well then," Kisuke said smiling. "There's your answer. Just one question. What on earth is _Blut_?"

Masaki sighed, "_Blut_ is one of the most advanced abilities given to _Quincies._ It's the only way that we're able to compete with a _Bankai_ wielding _Shinigami._ _Blut _is split into two categories; _Blut Vene,_ and _Blut Arterie._ _Blut Vene_ is when a _Quincy_ channels a large amount of _Reiryoku _into their veins. It makes a _Quincy_ almost invulnerable to damage. A seasoned _Quincy_ can even take a hit from a _Bankai_ wielding _Shinigami_ without taking serious damage."

"Amazing," Kisuke said in awe, not knowing _Quincies _had such powerful abilities. Growing up in _Soul Society_, Kisuke had always been under the impression that _Quincies_ were fairly weak. When he was a _Taichou_, Kisuke had run into a few _Quincies,_ not many, but enough to make him believe he had seen the extent of their powers. To know realize that the _Quincies_ that he had assumed were some of the strongest of their kind, still had such powerful abilities they either never used, or never unlocked, was mind-boggling.

"What is _Blut Arterie_?" Yoruichi asked. If _Blut Vene_ was so powerful, Yoruichi was sure that its counterpart was just as useful, if not more so.

"_Blut Arterie_ is the offensive form of _Blut. _It's used when a _Quincy_ channels their _Reiryoku _into their muscles, and then channel a bit more of it throughout their body. It allows a _Quincy _move faster, hit harder, and access far more power than normal." Masaki said. "_Blut Arterie_ is what allows a _Quincy_ to potentially challenge _Bankai _wielding _Shinigami._"

Kisuke looked amazed, but Yoruichi was a bit more sceptical.

"I don't get it," Yoruichi finally said. "If _Quincies_ had such powerful techniques, how come they were wiped out so easily by _Shinigami_?"

Masaki sighed, "Just because they have the potential to use these abilities, does not mean that they can. Only pure-blooded _Quincies_ can use _Blut_ immediately. For the rest it takes rigorous training. Similar to a _Shinigami's _training to achieve _Bankai._ While it doesn't take as long, _Quincies_ are still only human. Most mixed-blooded _Quincies_ don't go through the training to achieve it simply because it takes so long. We're not like _Shinigami_, we don't have hundreds, if not thousands, of years to train these powers. While it is true, most _Quincy_ powers are easier to learn and master then _Shinigami_ powers, the advantage is negated by our life spans. Very few are willing to dedicate their lives to mastering our powers, which is why we were so easily wiped out. Other than a few hard-core warriors, _Quincies_ were not soldiers; they were ordinary men, women, and children. It's ridiculous to assume they had any chance against the seasoned veterans of the _Gotei 13._"

"That makes sense." Yoruichi admitted.

"Not to mention," Kisuke added. "The _Quincies_ were heavily outnumbered. Even so, they didn't go down without a fight. _Central 46_ may have spread the rumour that they were decimated without any problems, but if you look at the records, you'll see that the amount of active _Shinigami_ dropped drastically during the war. I don't know all the details, since any detailed knowledge of the war was sealed, but by sheer statistics alone, the _Quincies _wiped out over a quarter of the _Shinigami._ That may not seem like a lot, but keep in mind that there were a _lot_ more _Shinigami_ than there were _Quincies."_

"Anyways," Kisuke said, upon noticing they had drifted so far off course. "How did you activate your _Blut Vene _Masaki?"

"Oh, my sensei just..." Masaki trailed off with a horrified look on her face.

"What Masaki?" Yoruichi asked, sounding curious.

"My sensei convinced me I was going to die." Masaki sighed. "She shot an arrow at my heart. It didn't have any real power behind it, at most it would have drawn a little blood and knocked me out for a day, but it was enough for me to think I was about to die. That's how purebloods activate _Blut_ _Vene_. When they're convinced they're about to die, they will unconsciously activate it."

"Well then, there's your answer." Kisuke said, sounding a bit too pleased with the situation. "When Ichigo looks like he's about to wake up, we'll chuck him in the basement, and I'll use my _Benihime_, to shoot a blast at him. Don't worry," he added hastily, seeing Masaki's horrified look. "I won't put any power in it, it'll give him some bruises at most. Plus, I'll shoot it from far away so it loses power as it approaches him. It'll be completely harmless."

"It had better be," Masaki said with a glare. "Or I'll guarantee that you won't ever have any children of your own you could shoot your special lasers at."

Yoruichi sniggered as Kisuke paled dramatically.

"No need for such hasty decisions Masaki," Kisuke said, trying to soothe her rage. "Ichigo will be fine."

"Now," Kisuke said, trying to change the topic. "Why don't we eat some dinner and go to sleep. Ichigo won't be waking up for at least twenty-four hours."

"I'm not leaving him here alone all night." Masaki said. "I'm going to stay over for the night. I'll call my friend and ask her to take care of Karin and Yuzu until tomorrow."

"That's fine," Yoruichi said quickly, seeing Kisuke open his mouth to no doubt say something offensive. "We have enough spare bedrooms."

Kisuke sighed as the women walked away, chatting. This was a shop, his shop. Not a damn hotel. '_Whatever,'_ Kisuke thought, tiredly. '_I'll worry about it in the morning'._

_Current Time_

Ichigo didn't know what he was expecting when he was engulfed in the blast of what he had belatedly realized was _Reiatsu, _but it certainly wasn't this. Other than a small tingling sensation, he felt pretty much nothing. Ichigo slowly, hesitantly, opened his eyes; half expecting another blast of _Reiatsu _to come finish the job. There was nothing. Ichigo slowly lowered his arms, which he had instinctively used to protest his head from damage, before stopping as something caught his attention. Ichigo gasped in awe. All over his arms, were weird, bulging designs that seemed to extend a bit past his elbows. Ichigo realized that these were his veins, but was still quite confused. '_Why are my veins so bulging_?' Ichigo thought. Slowly, before his eyes, his veins retracted back into his skin, returning to normal.

"Excellent," said a voice next to him. "I knew you could do it."

Ichigo jumped in surprise. There was no one beside him. He looked around wildly, wondering if he had gone insane, if this entire thing was just him experiencing some strange hallucination.

"Down here," said the voice again.

Ichigo looked down, and mentally confirmed his earlier hypothesis. There was no logical way to explain a black cat talking to him as if it were a daily occurrence, other than hime being completely insane. '_What the hell did the blonde guy do to me'_ Ichigo thought.

"Oi," he heard the voice-the cat he remembered-again. "You know it's pretty rude ignoring someone when they're trying to talk to you. Masaki never said awakening _Blut Vene_ made you deaf."

"Wait, what?" Ichigo asked, wondering how a cat knew his mom's name. "How do you know my mom?"

"She's a friend," Yoruichi said, stretching as she began to walk away. "Now follow me brat, I'll take you to Kisuke and your mommy."

Ichigo thought about his options. He could ignore her and stay where he was, but then who knows how long he would be stuck here. Or, he could follow the cat. Not a bad option, other than his concern about whether or not it actually existed. '_Oh well'_ Ichigo thought. He was confident that if anything happened, he was capable of fighting off a cat.

Ichigo sighed and followed, still wondering if he was insane or not.

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Ichigo wasn't sure what to expect after following the talking cat, but he was surprised to see that it had been telling the truth. There, clear as day was his mother, currently in the process of choking the blonde man-Kisuke, Ichigo remembered-to death. Judging by the rather blue appearance of his face his mother appeared to be succeeding.

"Ahem," the cat-which _still _baffled Ichigo-interrupted.

"Ichigo!" his mother called before grabbing him and hugging him fiercely. "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere? I knew we shouldn't have put you in danger like that. I-"

"Mom!" Ichigo said, struggling for breath. "I'm fine."

His mother paused as she looked him over for any injuries before asking, "Ichigo, did you notice anything strange about the spot where the blast hit you?"

Ichigo blinked, "Yeah, actually. There were these weird bulging lines on my arms." He admitted, "Why?"

His mom, Kisuke, and strangely enough, the cat all grinned at him.

"Yes!" his mother cheered. "He did it!"

Masaki knew first-hand the sheer difficulty of what Ichigo had done. Pureblood or not, to awaken one of the most powerful abilities a _Quincy_ possesses on his first try was nothing short of amazing. It had taken her sensei ambushing her almost constantly for a week for her to awaken _Blut Vene_, and considering that she had been told that was fairly quick. For Ichigo to awaken it on his first attempt was very impressive, especially considering that he had regained consciousness only hours ago. '_Is this the result of forcibly awakening his powers?' _Masaki wondered. Normally, a _Quincies _powers awoke on their own after they became suitably mature. The age is different for all _Quincies,_ but she had personally activated her powers when she had been thirteen. Isshin had told her he had awoken his when he had been fifteen. Both were considered normal ages for manifesting _Quincy _powers, but Ichigo hadn't awoken his powers naturally. Not to mention that he was only nine. Could his method of manifesting his _Quincy _heritage effect his overall power, and ability to learn? Time would tell, but Masaki was curious; should she do the same for Yuzu and Karin? '_No' _she thought, '_Not yet at least.'_ Karin and Yuzu were still only five-years-old, far too young to awaken any powers. She would worry about her daughters when they grew older. Until then, her son needed her help mastering his abilities, and she would do everything in her power to help him. It was her duty as a mother, after all.

"What did I do?" Ichigo asked, breaking his mother out of her thoughts.

Masaki smiled, "Remember when i told you about _Quincy _powers, Ichigo? I mentioned something called _Blut Vene._ That is what you did. Congratulations Ichigo you just used your first _Quincy_ power!"

"Really!" Ichigo exclaimed, eyes radiating with childish excitement.

Ichigo remembered what his mother had told him about that particular ability. _Quincies_ could use it in order to take blows without taking any damage. Ichigo grinned as he imagined himself walking through an army of _Hollows_, emerging without a scratch as the _Hollow's_ claws shattered against his skin.

"-chigo. Ichigo. Ichigo!" His mother frantic yelling finally brought him out of his daydream. Ichigo grinned sheepishly as everyone-cat included-stared at him with confusion.

"Oi, Kisuke, are you sure you didn't hit him too hard?" he heard the cat ask.

"I'm fine!" Ichigo said indignantly, outraged at the cat questioning his sanity.

Ichigo conveniently forgot he was doing the exact same thing only minutes ago.

"Anyways," Ichigo said, as he stopped glaring at the grinning cat. "When can I make my own spirit weapon? I wonder what I should make, maybe a katana. Or a bow like mom. Or a nodachi like dad. Or maybe even-"

"Calm down Ichigo," his mother said, "First you need to learn how to absorb and manipulate _Reishi. _Then we can worry about getting you a spirit weapon. Now come on and let's go home"

Ichigo sighed in disappointment. "Okay mom," Ichigo muttered dejectedly, as he began shuffling behind his mom to what he presumed to be the exit.

"Bye Yoruichi, Kisuke, I'll see you later." Masaki said. "Say bye Ichigo."

"Bye Kisuke-san, cat," Ichigo said, still depressed from learning he couldn't make a badass weapon straight off the bat.

As the two Kurosakis exited, Kisuke turned to his feline companion, "I think he likes you."

Yoruichi snorted as she walked away. "Whatever, I'm going to take a nap."

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Ichigo was pissed. It had been a year since he had awoken his powers, and all he had been doing was learning to absorb and manipulate _Reishi. _He hadn't even mad a spirit weapon yet! Whenever he had asked his mother about it, she would always say the same thing. '_It's necessary Ichigo'_ or '_This'll help you later on Ichigo' _or, his personal favourite, '_You'll thank me later Ichigo'. _Ichigo didn't want to thank his mom later, he wanted to thank her now!

Ichigo sighed. '_It's not like this has been a complete waste of time'_ he thought. And indeed, Ichigo's daily practice in absorbing _Reishi_ had been anything but useless. After receiving his mother's old _Quincy Cross_, Ichigo had jumped into his training with vigour. He had almost mastered his _Blut Vene_ ability, and he even began learning its counter-part, _Blut Arterie,_ though he hadn't had too much progress with that particular skill so far. After a year of using his _Blut_ only to defend, it was proving difficult to adjust to attacking. He couldn't train _Blut Arterie_ the same way as _Blut Vene._ With _Blut Vene, _Ichigo had just gotten Kisuke to shoot increasingly powerful blasts of _Reiatsu_ at him. According to Kisuke though, Ichigo still had a ways to go before he could block him at full power. He had also trained it by getting Yoruichi-who he was shocked to discover was a _woman_-to wail on him with increasing strength. Her rapid attacks also had the benefit of making his eyes accustomed to high-speed movement. Though, once again, Yoruichi assured him that if she went at full strength she would have cut through him like a hot knife through butter. So, while Ichigo's _Blut Vene_ was strong enough to protect against the low level _Hollows_ that frequented _Karakura Town,_ it was pretty much useless against any captain-class enemies.

Ichigo's training in absorbing and manipulating _Reishi_ was also coming along quite nicely. He was able to absorb high amounts of _Reishi_ for a new _Quincy_, something that his mother attributed to the unique method with which he had awakened his powers. However, controlling his _Reiryoku _was very challenging. His mother and Kisuke had discovered that Ichigo possessed a vast amount of spiritual power. In fact, Kisuke had mentioned that soon he would have as much as Kisuke himself. The only problem with having so much _Reiryoku_ was his inability to control it. His mom had mentioned that _Quincies_ generally had smaller amounts of _Reiryoku_ but had masterful control over it. Ichigo seemed to be the opposite of this. So, for a year his mother had been adamant that he gain an adequate amount of control over his own power _before_ he proceed to making his spirit weapon.

Naturally, this had frustrated Ichigo quite a bit. Not because he wanted a weapon-which he did- but rather because after a few months, Ichigo had developed the ability to sense _Reiatsu._ While this was a good thing, Ichigo was faced with a small moral dilemma. He occasionally sensed the _Reiatsu_ of a _Hollow_, feeding off innocent _Pluses._ He wanted to help them, every fiber of his being demanded that he do so. But his mother forbade it. He would have rebelled and gone anyway, but someone else appeared to be taking care of them before they caused too much damage. Ichigo wasn't sure who was doing it-since both Kisuke and Yoruichi denied any involvement-but he thanked them regardless. It was comforting to know there was someone else ready to protest the inhabitants of _Karakura Town_, and it took a lot of the pressure off his shoulders.

Ichigo was currently attempting to make his own _Quincy _technique. While his mother refused to tell him how to form a spirit weapon capable of fighting _Hollows,_ he was able to manipulate some _Reishi_ into shapes outside of his body. He had told no one of his small independent project, as well as his discovery pertaining to it. His mother had told him, that when _Quincies_ manipulated the _Reishi_ present in their environment, they mostly generated glowing _blue_ energy. Ichigo's however, was quite different. His constructs were _black_. This didn't seem to have any specific difference-other than looking cool of course-but it did worry Ichigo a bit. His mother had never mentioned anything about different coloured _Reishi _constructs, and he wondered if there was anything wrong with him.

The technique Ichigo was currently working on was a defence technique. True, his _Blut Vene_ already took care of his defensive skills, but it would be useless if Ichigo had to protect more than just himself. So he thought of making a _Reishi _shield, or barrier. After weeks of experimentation, Ichigo had finally managed to make one large enough to protect himself. It appeared to be a large black wall of energy, and in Ichigo's humble opinion looked pretty awesome. Because of his black _Reishi_, Ichigo wanted to give it a special name-something to do with the night, or darkness. After a bit of thinking he had decided, and was now going to show it to his mother, along with Yoruichi and Kisuke.

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"Alright Ichigo," Kisuke said. "Let's get your _Blut _training started. Get ready."

"Okay," Ichigo said grinning deviously. "But I'm going to try something a bit different this time Kisuke. So can you lower the amount of power you put into your attack?"

Ichigo wasn't foolish enough to think that a technique he had just created was powerful enough to stand up to Kisuke's more powerful attacks, but it should be fine against one of his weaker ones.

"Um...okay then," Kisuke said, sounding confused, and a little bit curious. "Here it comes!"

"_Okiro, Benihime,"_ Kisuke chanted as his cane-sword transformed into a sleek-medium sized blade with a U-shaped guard, ending in a red tassel.

Kisuke grinned as he held the blade over his head, as though he was going to bring it down onto some invisible enemy, "_Nake, Benihime!"_

From his blade emerged a large, red surge of power, blasting towards him at a rapid pace. From what Ichigo could sense, Kisuke had kept the power down, as he had been asked.

Ichigo grinned as he held his hand in front of him, _Quincy Cross_ dangling from his wrist.

Kisuke frowned. He couldn't see what was going on, but he could sense Ichigo manipulating _Reishi_, though far more than he normally did when he used his _Blut Vene._

Yoruichi and Masaki looked confused. Normally Ichigo just stood still so he could practice using _Blut Vene_ all over his body. Now though he was holding out a hand. They could only watch wondering just what it was Ichigo was trying to do.

Ichigo continued manipulating the _Reishi. _Finally, when the blast was almost upon him, Ichigo's eyes shot open. _"Yami no Tate!"_

Three stunned sets of eyes watched as a seven-foot wall of pure black _Reishi_ appeared in front of Ichigo, absorbing the impact. Even Ichigo appeared stunned by what he had done. When he practiced, his shield was only three or four feet. The one he had just created was easily double that. He stared at his hand in awe, as Yoruichi, Kisuke, and his mother all approached him.

"What the hell was that?" Yoruichi asked in surprise.

She was stunned. The technique she had just witnessed bared a close resemblance to a _Bakudo _spell that was quite popular with higher level _Shinigami. _It was called _Bakudo #81 Danku _and was one of the most powerful and difficult to learn spells available. To see a ten-year-old human child create something comparable was mind-boggling to her.

"I'm wondering the same thing Ichigo," Masaki said. While she was impressed, she was a bit angry that her son had disobeyed her and began to create physical _Reishi _constructs without her guidance. Doing so without adequate control could have been disastrous. "Well Ichigo?"

Ichigo grinned sheepishly, "I've been experimenting in my free time" Ichigo admitted. "I know it was wrong but I've been so bored mom! I need to learn something other than absorbing _Reishi _and _Blut._ And this should show you that I have enough control as well."

"Alright Ichigo," Masaki sighed, recognizing that what Ichigo said was the truth. "We'll begin making you a spirit weapon tomorrow."

"Yes!" Ichigo grinned. Finally, his hard work paid off.

"What I'm more interested in," Kisuke cut in, "is why your shield was black. Masaki didn't you say that _Quincies_ normally created blue _Reishi _constructs?"

Masaki blinked. "You're right, I've never heard of a _Quincy _having any colour other than blue."

"Hmm..." Kisuke began to brainstorm on how such a phenomenon could happen. "Maybe...maybe Ichigo's _Reiryoku_ is more similar to that of a _Shinigami_."

"What do you mean?" questioned Yoruichi.

"Think about it," Kisuke said, "_Shinigami_ have different coloured _Reiatsu_. Mine is red, for example, while yours is yellow. Maybe Ichigo's _Reiatsu _is black, and the method we used to awaken his powers made his _Reiatsu_ subconsciously affect his _Reishi _constructs, turning them black."

"That has got to be some of the most crack-pot, convoluted bullshit I have ever heard come out of your mouth." Yoruichi said, after thinking for a moment, "And we both know I have heard a lot over the years."

Kisuke pouted childishly, "Do you have any better explanations Yoruichi? No? I thought so."

Masaki sighed, "Does it really matter why?" she asked. "What matters is that it's black, and there's nothing we can do about it. Plus, it seems to get the job done perfectly fine, so it's just an aesthetic thing."

No one had anything to say to that. Kisuke was still fairly sure that what he had said was true. But Masaki was right, it didn't matter.

And black looked way cooler than blue. That helped too

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Ichigo was positively glowing with excitement. Finally, after a year of blood, sweat, tears, and whining, he was going to get his spirit weapon. His mother had asked him what he was going to create, and he had told her it was a secret. He had always known what he would make as his weapon, and had even tried to make one on his own. Unfortunately, when he tried to test it, it acted as a bludgeon, rather than the deadly weapon it was supposed to be. His mother had mentioned that spirit weapons were notoriously difficult to create, so he wasn't too worried. Hopefully, his mother would be able to spot his mistake, and he would have a functioning weapon by the end of the day.

"So, Ichigo," his mother began, smiling at the excited look on his face. "Since we both know that you've began experimenting, I find it hard to believe that you _didn't_ try to make your own weapon, so show me what you got and we'll go from there."

Ichigo smiled sheepishly; unsurprised that he had been caught. "Alright, here it goes!"

Ichigo concentrated and began to manipulate the _Reishi _in the air around him. He immersed himself into the power and felt it begin to change shape. He opened his eyes, and before him was a thin beam of pure black _Reishi._ He took hold of the end and gave the spirit katana a few test swings. It appeared to hold its shape well, the only problem Ichigo could see was the small amount of what appeared to be black mist, being constantly produced from the blade.

Masaki sighed, "I thought this might happen, it's a fairly common problem for young _Quincies._"

"What's wrong mom?"

"You're not compressing the _Reishi _enough, Ichigo. You have to focus the _Reishi_ into a fine, killing edge. It should be easier for you than it was for me though. I had to properly compress every arrow almost instantaneously; you just have to do it once, and then focus on keeping it like that."

Ichigo stared at the sword in shock. '_That's it? All it takes is some compression?' _Ichigo was stunned. He had spent countless nights thinking about how to fix his sword, but he could never figure it out. Now, his mother just came up and told him to compress it more. Ichigo sighed, might as well begin. He began to focus, tightening the _Reishi_ in his sword more than he ever had before. To his immense disappointment, all this accomplished was the amount of mist lessening slightly. Ichigo glared at the sword in annoyance.

Masaki laughed. "Looks like we found what you're working on for the next little while. Eh, Ichigo?"

Ichigo ignored her in favour of glaring at his blade. '_I will compress you'_ Ichigo vowed.

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'_Finally'_ Ichigo thought as he stared at the pure black katana in his hand. After almost three weeks of concentrating, Ichigo had finally managed to compress the _Reishi_ enough to get rid of that annoying mist. While he had accomplished that goal after only a few days of effort, the mist had started immediately after he stood to show his mother. So Ichigo had faced a new dilemma, having enough mastery of the skill to keep it done almost unconsciously. It had taken weeks, but Ichigo had finally succeeded.

He ran to the _Urahara Shop_; he had gone there so many times recently he had the path memorised. He would have shown his mother, but she had gone to talk to Yuzu and Karin's teacher about something. He burst through the doors, throwing a quick greeting to Tessai-who was sweeping at the front- and ran over to the sitting room, where Kisuke and Yoruichi usually were. He found them having tea; Yoruichi in her cat form as Kisuke scratched behind her ears.

"Ahh Ichigo, what brings you to our humble abode?" Kisuke asked, signature grin placed firmly on his face.

"I did it!" Ichigo exclaimed, beaming. "I finally got rid of the mist. Look!"

Before their eyes, a katana about the size of Ichigo's leg appeared in his hand. It looked to be made of pure black energy, dark enough that it appeared to almost consume the light around it.

"Well done Ichigo!" Kisuke said, Yoruichi nodding in agreement. "Now, let's see if it can stand up to my _Zanpakutou."_

Ichigo grinned in excitement as they all headed to the basement.

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Ichigo stared across the field at Kisuke, face devoid of any humour. He had to do this. Standing up to Kisuke was the only way his mother would allow him to hunt _Hollows._ With that in mind Ichigo created his spirit weapon, which he had yet to name. The black _Reishi _katana seemed to glow with a sinister light; as Kisuke drew his _Shikomizue._ Kisuke looked at Ichigo's sword and decided to take this spar up a notch.

"_Okiro, Benihime!"_

Kisuke releasing his _Zanpakutou_ surprised Ichigo; he had thought this would be a simple spar, but it seemed Kisuke had other ideas. He saw Kisuke grin and mockingly wave him forward, taunting him to attack. While Ichigo was irritated by his behaviour, he knew getting angry and rushing in recklessly was what Kisuke wanted him to do. So instead Ichigo waited. And waited, and waited, and waited. Until finally, seeing Kisuke sigh and look at Yoruichi in annoyance; he charged, riding the current of _Reishi_ beneath his feet. Kisuke looked shocked at Ichigo's surprising amount of speed. Even so, he had more than enough time to bring up his own sword, effortlessly stopping Ichigo's charge. He was pleased to note that the _Reishi_ sword was able to stand up to his own _Benihime_ without any apparent problems.

Kisuke grinned, "You're gonna have to do a lot better than that, Ichigo."

Ichigo returned the grin as he jumped back and began circling, looking for an opening. Kisuke however, seemed to change his usual battle plan and charged. Ichigo ducked underneath the first horizontal swipe, and barely managed to bring his sword up to deflect the follow-up strike. As their blades locked, Ichigo spoke.

"I think you're taking this a bit too serious Kisuke."

"I disagree," Kisuke said, as he jumped back and charged once more. "I doubt you're gonna meet any _Hollows_ that'll take it easy on you; so I don't think I will either. Besides," he said as he easily deflected Ichigo's increasingly desperate attacks. "Going easy on you would be boring."

Ichigo leapt to the side as Kisuke's downward slice cut a smooth path, straight through the ground he was just standing on. Using his bastardized _Hirenkyaku_, Ichigo attempted to strike Kisuke from behind, but was shocked when Kisuke dodged, seemingly without even looking. He didn't have too much time to wonder how Kisuke had pulled that off; as he was forced to dodge or block a flurry of attacks. He thought he had weathered the storm when Kisuke's blade shot forward and cut him across the cheek. Ichigo sluggishly moved backwards and raised a hand to his bleeding cheek. He cursed himself for becoming so arrogant and not activating his _Blut Vene. _He vowed not to make the same mistake twice as he charged once more, determined at giving Kisuke a challenge, if nothing else.

Suffice to say, he failed.

Miserably.

It seemed no matter how ferociously he attacked, no matter how creatively he attacked, Kisuke knew exactly what he was going to do, and stayed at least two steps ahead of him at all times. Ichigo swung his sword like a mad man, losing all semblance of grace as he became determined to hit Kisuke. Still he could do nothing. After ten minutes of almost non-stop attacks, Ichigo let his weapon disperse and dropped to his knees in exhaustion.

"How?" Ichigo asked, gasping for breath. "How could you block everything I did? How could you block every attack so...so effortlessly?"

"Because I'm better than you, of course." Kisuke said, as if it was a widely accepted truth. "C'mon Ichigo, you couldn't have honestly believed that a year of training and a flashy sword would be enough to defeat me? I've been a _Shinigami_ for over a century, no matter how much of a quick learner you are; no matter how much of a prodigy you are in the _Quincy_ arts, it'll take a lot more than a year of training after you get home from school to beat me. But don't look so down," he added, seeing Ichigo's downtrodden look. "Believe it or not, that attack of your probably would've caught any unseated _Shinigami_ completely off guard; maybe even a few of the weaker seated officers. That's remarkable for a ten-year-old child, especially a human."

"What I'm curious about," said Yoruichi as she came up behind them in her human form. "Is what that high-speed movement technique that you were using is. I don't remember Masaki ever mentioning something like that."

"It's called _Hirenkyaku_," Ichigo said, "From what I can tell, It's the _Quincy_ equivalent of a _Shinigami's Shunpo._ And before you ask," he added, seeing Yoruichi open her mouth to ask a question, "It works by riding the flow of _Reishi_ to where you want to go. I'm nowhere near mastering it though; I just managed to use it yesterday. My _Yami no Tate_ is actually based on it, but instead of channeling the flow of _Reishi_ under my feet, I concentrate it in front of me in order to stop incoming attacks."

"Fascinating," said Kisuke, "I want another spar when you master that attack, Ichigo."

"Me too," added Yoruichi. It had been decades since she had a good spar, and she didn't want to get too rusty.

Ichigo grinned as began to walk towards the exit after saying his goodbyes. He may not have been able to hit Kisuke, but he was still proud of what he had accomplished. He had mastered the creation of his spirit weapon, had achieved an adequate amount of control over the defensive form of _Blut_, begun to master _Hirenkyaku,_ and had even created his own personal defensive technique; all within a year of awakening his powers. His mother had to let him hunt _Hollows_ now!

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"Absolutely not!" Masaki said firmly, refusing her son adamantly. "You are not ready to hunt _Hollows_ yet Ichigo, maybe next year."

"But mom Kisuke said he'll come to watch just in case the _Hollow_ is too strong! I'll be perfectly safe!" Ichigo protested immediately.

Masaki sighed as she looked at her son. She didn't want him anywhere near a _Hollow,_ but she knew that it was inevitable. She had seen Ichigo in action, and knew he was more than a match for any of the _Hollows_ that frequented _Karakura Town_. But that didn't make sending her son to fight giant beasts any easier.

"Alright Ichigo, but," she added hastily as she saw him ready to leave immediately, "I have some conditions. Kisuke or Yoruichi have to be with you, you have to have your _Blut Vene_ active at all times, and you have to promise to be safe."

Ichigo nodded beaming with excitement, as he ran to go find the two resident _Shinigami. _It was time to hunt some _Hollows._

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After a few hours of searching, Ichigo finally ran into a _Hollow._ It was a thirty-foot monstrosity closely resembling a bear. The only differences were the lack of fur; the _Hollow _was instead covered with thick, blue-grey skin, and the long tail, which appeared to be made completely of bone. A strange, shark-like mask, complete with dorsal fin and a massive jaw covered the head, which was full of foot-long, razor sharp teeth. It appeared to be rather dim-witted though. Ichigo simply ran up, using his limited grasp of _Hirenkyaku_ and chopped its head off before it could even react. Ichigo was stunned. '_That's it?'_ he thought incredulously. After all of the warnings he had received from Kisuke and his mom, all it took was one swipe. Ichigo couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. He had been expecting an epic battle, _Hollow_ and _Quincy_ matching blow for blow. Never retreating until one of them dropped dead and the other would rise as champion. Instead, he cut off a _Hollow's _head too fast for it to even react.

"Good job Ichigo; I'm impressed," said Yoruichi, dropping down in human form from the roof of a nearby building. "In a few years I'd love to have a spar with you."

"I-I was expecting more," admitted Ichigo. "My mom made it seem so dangerous, but it was over so quickly. To be honest, I expected more."

Yoruichi sighed, "It won't always be so easy Ichigo; you just got lucky. There are _Hollows _that could rip through you as easily as I could. Luckily for us, the chances of running into them are almost non-existent. "

Ichigo tried to contain his disappointment. He hoped that the next _Hollow_ would give him a challenge, but for now he had to go back home; it was almost time for dinner.

**For all you people that wanted a longer chapter, there you go. I have gained a new respect for the writers that put out 10000+ word chapters every time. Anyways, I hope this chapter answered some of your questions, but if not leave a review and I'll try to address it next chapter. I'm probably gonna slow down the update time, but that's only because I hope to make all my chapters at least this length. I'm happy that this story has some readers. Nine reviews in 2 days is pretty damn impressive to me, especially since I'm a new writer. Im gonna put up a pole for the pairing, but right now I'm thinking either IchigoxRangiku, or IchigoxKuukaku. The reason is because they're both loud, and rather open with their bodies, and I think their interactions with a modest Ichigo would be hilarious. I would've said Yoruichi as well, but she's known Ichigo since he was nine. I'd think that as a grown woman, that'd be a bit of a turn-off. Anyways, enjoy reading.**


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